November 15, 2007

Adisia supports Ethiopian Jewish women in Israel by providing a setting in which they can create and market their traditional Ethiopian Jewish embroidered handicrafts. The project, which is sponsored by the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO), receives support from the Massachusetts-based Harold Grinspoon Foundation and Sharon Ungerleider in Eugene, Oregon, project director. Adisia employs about 20 Ethiopian women in the Northern Israeli town of Afula and produces an array of uniquely bright and colorful hand-made mezuzot. These expressions in embroidery, glass, metal and wood reflect historical and cultural themes from the diaspora. The project currently has sixteen prototype designs, which are available for purchase individually or in limited edition sets.